Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
May 28, 2025
Contact: Lt. Mark DePew, 989-275-5151
A Grayling man faces two felony charges, including safe breaking and possession of burglary tools, following arraignment Friday in Crawford County’s 87-C District Court.
Andrew William Michalak, 54, was arraigned for his involvement in a series of state forest campground thefts targeting payment collection sites – known as pay pipes – where campers deposit cash. Read more
May 28, 2025
Contact: Bill Scullon, 906-250-6781
Community groups, conservation clubs and even K-12 students in the Upper Peninsula will improve hundreds of acres of land to support the deer population through a matching grant program partially funded by deer license revenue.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is awarding a total of about $148,300 to 15 projects as part of the 2025 Upper Peninsula Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative. There are 14 new projects and one carryover from last year.
The projects include tree and shrub planting, turning forest trails into wildlife corridors, protecting existing habitat with fencing and other enhancements to private or non-state-owned land.
Partners include conservation districts, deer hunting groups, sportsmen clubs, schools and others. Grants can range from $2,000 to $15,000. Applicants match at least 25% of the cost either financially or through in-kind contributions. Read more
Public engagement event June 13 at Van Riper State Park
| The Michigan Army National Guard’s 107th Engineer Battalion will conduct engineer construction projects beginning May 31 at Van Riper, Craig Lake, and McLain state parks and various state forest campgrounds and recreational facilities in Baraga County.
Soldiers assigned to the 1432nd Engineer Company, based in Kingsford and Gladstone, will participate in Innovative Readiness Training projects to assist the unit with building readiness. The projects offer hands-on experience for guard personnel in construction and maintenance, while also providing benefits to the parks and community. Read more |
Director Clark calls landowners hours after encounter to offer support
Two landowners were picking mushrooms about a mile north of Choteau on Wednesday night when they were charged by an adult female grizzly bear. The men shot and killed the bear at close range, and fortunately, they were uninjured during the encounter.
“I spoke to John and Justin shortly after the incident and they were both still shook up,” Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Christy Clark said. “They told me their story and it was clear it was very traumatic. What’s important here is they’re ok.” Read more
Contact: Lt. Mark DePew, 989-297-1946
 A 76-year-old man and 66-year-old woman from Ann Arbor were rescued Tuesday after their sailboat ran aground in high winds and rough water on Lake Huron.
The boaters launched near the Point Au Gres Marina and Campground, located on Green Drive, and planned to sail north to a boat slip they own at Tawas Marina. At 2:10 p.m., Arenac County Central Dispatch received a 911 call regarding a boat that possibly had capsized off the south side of Point Au Gres, near North Rumsey Road. Read more |
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| SAF Again Points Out Unsupported Arguments by Animal ExtremistsYesterday, May 21, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, along with Safari Club International and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, completed briefing in a trio of lawsuits brought by animal extremist groups to relist wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain region under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We’ve doubled down on our ask to the court to issue a judgment in our favor due to the animal extremists’ lack of standing and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) proper denial of the extremists’ attempts to relist gray wolves in the Northern Rockies.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance and our conservation partners filed our final reply brief with the District Court in Montana, marking the end of briefing a year after successfully intervening in the lawsuits to defend the denials by FWS. We will present our arguments next month to the District Judge in Missoula, Montana. Based on the thorough defenses by the Sportsmen’s Alliance, conservation partners, state agencies and FWS, we’re confident the judge will agree that FWS very clearly considered the best available science to support the denials. Read more |
A fast-spreading invasive species, the Box Tree Moth Caterpillar , has arrived in Metro Detroit, causing significant damage to boxwood plants.
After consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured and relocated an adult male grizzly bear on May 16.
The grizzly bear was captured for cattle depredation on private land. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the grizzly bear was relocated to the Glade Creek drainage approximately 2.5 miles south of Yellowstone National Park. Read more
A young female grizzly bear was recently mistaken for a black bear by a hunter in the Panhandle Region
On the evening of May 9, a hunter shot and killed a young female grizzly bear he mistook for a black bear. The bear was killed in the Priest Lake drainage of Idaho’s Panhandle. After identifying the bear at the scene as a grizzly, the hunter immediately self-reported via the Citizen’s Against Poaching hotline and is fully cooperating with Idaho Fish and Game on the ongoing investigation.
The incident serves as an important reminder that grizzly bears can be found in portions of the Panhandle and Upper Snake Regions and occasionally in other regions in Idaho. Grizzly bears are protected Read more
Did you know that the DNR’s Academy of Natural Resources gives educators from across the state the opportunity to learn about conservation trends from wildlife biologists, foresters, conservation officers and fisheries staff? It’s true – and you can be a part of it all this summer.
Our expert-led sessions are designed to empower educators with practical knowledge on a range of vital topics, including effective strategies for incorporating outdoor education into the classroom and tackling subjects like climate change. This year also includes a special session just for pre-kindergarten through third grade teachers, who can become certified in the early elementary programs for the award-winning Project WILD, Project WET and Project Learning Tree curriculum.
If you are interested, join us July 13-18 for the Academy of Natural Resources Classic at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center, located?near Roscommon, or Aug. 3-8 for ANR North in the Upper Peninsula. Read more